Business, Media and Culture 2019

Jonathan Jones may be one of the most successful Mississippi entrepreneurs you’ve never heard of.

Jonathan Jones is the CEO of Jones Companies. Today, Jones is comprised of 9 privately owned entities including lumber mills, pipeline pipe logistics, pipe traceability software, portable refrigerated storage equipment, commercial construction, contracted-dedicated trucking, paper and plastics recycling, mobile fuel management, as well as other products and services that support power line and pipeline companies. Jones Companies generates $300 million in total revenue and employs more than 1,000 people nationwide.

Jones was founded in 1949 by Jonathan’s grandfather, Lloyd Jones. The company began as a small lumber business in Sandy Hook, Mississippi. During several logging expeditions, a need emerged for temporary access roads to transport heavy equipment through wetlands. In 1976, Jonathan’s father, Brett Jones formed a temporary access company originally known as Dixie Mat and Hardwood™, which was later rebranded as YAK MAT™ (a former Jones Company). YAK MAT™ pioneered the design of construction *mats, leading to the discovery and development of products and services in the power line and pipeline industries.

In 2003, upon graduating with a Bachelor of Accountancy from the University of Mississippi, Jonathan Jones came to work for the family business. In July 2018, Jonathan Jones sold a majority interest of YAK ACCESS™ to Platinum Equity of Los Angeles. YAK ACCESS™ is comprised of YAK MAT™, New South™, and BluRoc™ (former Jones Companies) and continues to be the largest, temporary access road company in North America. This is the largest contender sale transaction by a Mississippi-based founder and family-owned business in the state’s history. Jonathan still owns a minority stake and continues to be on the board of the business.

The remaining 9 Jones Companies also dominate in their respective markets. For example, FV Recycling™ (a Jones company) is the market share leader for paper recycling in Louisiana and Mississippi, while Portabull Storage™ (a Jones company) is the largest portable, walk-in freezer rental company in the US, and Jones
Lumber Company™ is one of the largest hardwood lumber producers in the Southeast. To maintain a competitive edge, Jones invests in R&D to create patented products and distinguished services offerings in all Jones companies. SPOT™ (a Jones company) holds a patent for pipe tracking technology that further
entrenches Jones with pipeline operators and contractors through real-time monitoring of pipe from production to installation. Each of the company’s businesses offers specific competitive points of differentiation while jointly contributing to et al. performance.

In 2016, Jonathan was recognized for his entrepreneurial achievements by receiving the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2016 award for Diversified and Industrial Products in the Gulf Coast Area. As a regional winner, Jonathan competed for national recognition amongst the most elite entrepreneurs in the country. Jonathan was the only award winner from the gulf coast region to be named a finalist at the national level. Jonathan placed 3rd overall and competed among winners including Marriott, Fitbit, Mail Chimp, and Blue Apron.